Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Jasper.
Watch for a slight increase in snowpack reactivity on solar aspects Wednesday, as temperatures creep up closer to seasonal norms.
Weather Forecast
Cold, clear and dry conditions as the arctic air rules supreme over our region.Wednesday will be sunny with cloudy periods, alpine high -9 C, Low -22 C, and LNE ridge winds.Mountain weather forecast available at Avalanche Canada.
Snowpack Summary
The upper snowpack continues to lose cohesion from facetting. Wind effect is visible in open terrain from previous SW switching to N winds. The Jan 18 layer (down 40cm) has faceted away in most places, but shows isolated sensitivity at treeline and below in the Icefields region. The midpack is mainly supportive, over depth hoar in shallow areas.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches were observed in the Eastern part of the park today. No activity has been reported around the Icefields for several days.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.